Jun 14 Pack Snacks: News Round-up

In this edition of Pack Snacks, Ashley Joyce speaks with X-Rite’s Printing and Portfolio Manager, Ray Cheydleur and VP, Brand Global Strategic Accounts, Cindy Cooperman about Nestlé’s former candy brands getting a new refresh, how speed to market is correlated to the ever-growing amount of indie and start-up beauty brands and how major brands are also looking to increase their new product roll-out to cash-in.

According to Baking Business, Ferrara Candy plans to repackage some of Nestlé's former candy brands. Butterfinger will be the first to undergo transformation either later this year or in early 2019.

Cheydleur:With a refresh, brand leaders still need to focus on identifiability. Capture the consumer’s attention by keeping the primary colors and then redesign – if you change colors it essentially becomes a new product.

Cooperman:I agree; you always want to keep the heritage/equity color for your brand. Recently, Coca-Cola redesigned their cans, they are now slimmer with a long stripe but notice that the color remained the same. A lot of these categories (carbonated sodas and candy) may feel pressure as consumers are trying to eat healthier – so it makes sense to refresh, but it is still important to maintain a consistent brand identity in the process. Using color technologies can help brands keep iconic colors consistent during this process as well.

Craft brands tend to be flexible and agile so it makes sense that they look to standard packaging that’s quickly customizable. It is important for small and large brands to partner with suppliers who utilize the latest technologies available and are connected to each step in the creation of a product—from packaging conceptualization through fulfillment—to increase speed-to-market.

Cheydleur: I noticed they didn’t really talk a lot about color here in this article and color is a critical component to beauty packaging in particular. Utilizing digital color libraries helps take time out of the overall product and packaging process; it allows you to see colors on various packaging materials and ensure consistency. Beyond that, during each new product roll-out, many brands spend a decent amount of time on new color development. Why develop new colors? Invest in digital tools such as visualizer and use hundreds of colors already available, which will shorten your roll-out process!

Cooperman: Yes, digital natives know how to use digital tools and they use them to their advantage. They understand how to respond quickly and utilize the ecommerce environment. In general, it’s interesting to consider the impact of color in online retail. It challenges some of our historical positions about color and shelf impact. Even when there are no longer boxes stacked together (what has been called the “wall of color”) brand leaders still want a consistent representation of their color in the packaging.

I have talked to brand leaders who work for a food subscription service and I asked them why they care so much about color if the boxes are never seen together and never sit on a shelf together, as in the traditional retail shelf experience. They explained to me that they still care because color is still a part of the consumer experience and an indication of quality; that initial experience has enough impact that they want to be consistent to the design experience intentions. So even subscription boxes feel strongly about elevating the brand through consistent color within their packaging.

Ashley Sellers is a content marketer, writer and strategist for Danaher’s Product Identification platform. Prior to joining Danaher, she spent five years in marketing and communications for a global market research company and two years in project and client management at a global SaaS platform for communications professionals. She also blogged for a local sports site for more than three years. Ashley earned a B.A. in Radio-Television from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and a M.A. in Public Relations and Advertising from DePaul University.

Beyond her marketing career, Ashley moonlights as a dance instructor at a local dance studio and is a member of the District 214 Alumni Advisory Council. She enjoys reading, traveling, Chicago sports, Orangetheory, yoga, and spending time with family.

Ashley Sellers is a content marketer, writer and strategist for Danaher’s Product Identification platform. Prior to joining Danaher, she spent five years in marketing and communications for a global market research company and two years in project and client management at a global SaaS platform for communications professionals. She also blogged for a local sports site for more than three years. Ashley earned a B.A. in Radio-Television from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and a M.A. in Public Relations and Advertising from DePaul University.

Beyond her marketing career, Ashley moonlights as a dance instructor at a local dance studio and is a member of the District 214 Alumni Advisory Council. She enjoys reading, traveling, Chicago sports, Orangetheory, yoga, and spending time with family.